The first time Galen was introduced to something from the early 20th century he was 3 years old.  And he distinctly remembers it!  A friend and co-worker of his dad's, Jack Whitaker, had a player piano.  Being an engineer, he came up with a clever way to have the manual player play itself.  He connected the bellows to a vacuum cleaner hose, which ran through a hole in the floor down to a vacuum in the basement, where you couldn't hear it.  A tug on a string to the electric socket at the top of the stairs turned it off and on.  Pretty ingenious, for adults or kids! 

As Galen got into his adolescent years, he continued down the road of Turn of the Century wonders, antiques, and arts & entertainment.  He became most enthralled with silent films and ragtime music.  While still in high school, he began producing film series and seeking out people who had been part of the silent era.  Silent film pianist Jeanne McPartland became part of his group who presented shows and she accompanied his programs and most of the others in the Southeast Connecticut and Rhode Island area.  In fact, she became a major draw to the programs.  People loved the live accompaniment.  Also part of the group were actor Harold Pavey, who worked in silents as a boy, and film collector Leon Calanquin.  A feature story appeared on them in the regional paper, The Day (New London), and they also appeared on radio on Don Turner's program over WSUB in Groton.  (By the way, both towns were home to famed banjoist Fred Bacon in the early 20th century.  Bacon was a major performer, teacher, composer, and manufacturer of banjos.  He was actually one of many banjo talents in Connecticut and the New England area.  His influence is still felt today with the many banjoists and performers in the region.) 

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​THE RAGTIME YEARS  1976 - 1978  WVHC  Long Island

IT'S RAG TIME!  1980-1987  KSCN  Los Angeles

THE PALM LEAF RAGTIME ORCHESTRA  1986-1991  Los Angeles

and THE NEW CENTURY QUARTET

THE RAGTIME BALL

THE CAKEWALK CONTEST

EXTENSIVE NOTES FOR BASTA'S JOPLIN, SCOTT, & LAMB CDs

​CONTRIBUTED TO RAISING RAGTIMER MONUMENTS...

                 James Scott headstone, 1980.                     Arthur Marshall headstone, 1988.                       Edgar Settle headstone, 1993.

             Tom Turpin headstone, 1999.                      Scott Joplin memorial bench, 2017.           Cakewalker, Doc Brown headstone, 2024.

​... AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION